Samsung Electronics is opening a new "Connected Customer Care Center" in Greenville, SC.
Creation of the facility is part of the company’s continued efforts to deliver exceptional customer care at more touch points throughout the U.S. (The 34,928 square foot facility is the second consumer support center in South Carolina.)
It will also help better address the needs of the growing number of consumers who are connecting multiple devices. To date, 71% percent of U.S. households have at least one Samsung product; nearly one third has three or more. These numbers escalate daily, as do the ways consumers use the products.
Samsung is opening the new site in partnership with Alorica, which specializes in customer service and related functions for retail, hospitality, travel, telecommunications and financial services companies.
“We are entering a world in which the way consumers use and switch technology products is constant and seamless,” said Michael Lawder, senior vice president of customer care at Samsung. “Today’s announcement ensures that customers are able to receive world-class education, training and support to connect products and maximize their use however and whenever they would like.”
The site will include two advanced training centers for onsite agents, a showcase of the latest Samsung products, a secure video chat support area and a connected living lab with Samsung and competitive products that will let agents test real-life consumer experiences.
The facility will bring 200 additional support jobs to South Carolina in 2018 and a total of 400 more positions to the region by 2020. Earlier this year, Samsung also opened a $380 million appliance manufacturing plant in nearby Newberry, SC, which also created many new jobs.
Samsung’s increased emphasis on comprehensive customer care goes beyond opening dedicated facilities. Last year, the company brought a customer service truck to the streets of New York to help consumers with tasks like setting up devices, fixing screens and charging mobile phones.
The electronics maker is also using bots to efficiently direct consumers to a live rep who can answer questions, according to Forbes. The goal is streamline support requests by using bots to text customers several questions to point them to the right human agent.